Meet Lucy
by gpeach6
Summary: THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY DISCONTINUED. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO MY PROFILE PAGE. I AM DEEPLY SORRY.
1. Chiron IMs us

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the characters (except Lucy), they belong to Rick Riordan! (Duh!) A/N: This is my first fanfic so no flames and enjoy! This is set right after TLO (without the Percabeth, that comes in later)**

**Percy's POV**

"So whatta ya wanna do?" asked Annabeth, things have been pretty boring around here since we got home from Camp Half-Blood last summer. It was the weekend before summer break and Annabeth was staying with us for the week so my mom could drive her to Camp Half-Blood on the first day of summer. It was amazing; I hadn't blown up my school _at all_ that year! We were sitting on the couch waiting for my mom to get home from the store, thinking of something to do.

"I dunno, how 'bout we play cards or sumthin'" I suggested. Annabeth just shrugged, and we started searching for some cards to play with. Once we found them in the kitchen drawer, we decided we were going to play war** (A/N lol that rhymes)**. After about an hour of Annabeth destroying me in war, Mom walked in the door smiling brightly, as usual, while holding grocery bags.

"Hey, Miss Jackson, do you need any help with those bags?" offered Annabeth, already walking over to Mom. "I can also help with dinner," she suggested. _Why was Annabeth so helpful all the sudden? And since when does she __cook__?_ I thought to myself as they started on dinner. I just shrugged and turned on the TV.

"Mount Saint Helens has been erupting like mad over the last few weeks, and most of the residents were evacuated from the near-by villages, though many were killed in the last few pyroclasticeruptions," said the news lady on the Channel 6 News report. Mount Saint Helens… boy, did _that_ bring back memories. The moment I thought about it I looked at Annabeth and my face heated up.

"Percy! Percy, look at me!" called a voice from directly behind me. I spun around to see Chiron's face in an Iris Message.

"Chiron? Is everything okay?! What's wrong?" I asked frantically. Chiron had a confused look on his face that told me there was some kind of problem.

"We have a um… situation here at camp…may I speak to Annabeth for a moment?" he said, his eyebrows pulling together and his lips turning down into a frown.

**Annabeth's POV**

"Hey, Annabeth, come here for a sec," Percy called over to me. I was helping out his mom to be polite… and to get her to like me more…you know, because she's my best friend's mom**.**_ Or maybe it's because she's your potential boyfriend's mother, _said a little voice in the back of my head. _No way! I don't like Percy any more than as a friend…okay maybe I do like-like him a little…or a lot. _I pushed the thought away when Percy called me over to him. As I turned to walk over to him I saw the misty face of Chiron in an Iris Message and ran over to speak with him.

"Annabeth, as a daughter of Athena, you might be able to figure out a very confusing problem. Could you have Percy's mother drive you to Camp Half-Blood immediately? Percy, you may come if you wish," he told me.

"Of course," I answered simply. Without a word, Ms. Jackson grabbed the car keys, opened the door, and motioned for us to exit. We speed-walked out the door and to the car in silence.

On the whole ride to Long Island we chatted about what the problem could possibly be. When we finally got there, Percy and I said a quick thanks to Ms. Jackson and darted up the hill to Camp Half-Blood. We walked up to the Big House to see Chiron talking to a young girl, who was about Nico's age. She was relatively tan with dark brown hair that had blonde highlights. She was wearing a black t-shirt that had a picture of a bright yellow sun on it that said "I'm a ray of sunshine" across the front with a designer yellow jacket, light jeans and black converse sneakers. Her eyes were strange though, once I got a good look at them I realized they were different colors, one was bright blue with a bit of a yellowish color in the corner, and the other was a beautiful chocolaty brown, but the weirdest thing about her was the symbols flashing above her head. It was usually how demigods are claimed, the god or goddess that they belong to will make their symbol appear above his or her head, but the symbol above her head kept changing, from the symbol of Apollo, to Poseidon, to Aphrodite, and the pattern kept repeating itself. "Amazing," I muttered in astonishment. The girl smiled at me shyly and stared up at the symbols above her head.

"Hello, Annabeth, and Percy! Meet Lucy, she's having a bit of an identity problem. Ever since she's gotten hear, the gods seem to be arguing over whose daughter she might be, no one seems to remember," Chiron told us. I thought about the problem at hand, and it just didn't make sense.

"How about we bring her to the gods and discuss the problem," I suggested. Chiron nodded,

"That would be wise, I'll ask Argus to drive you to the Empire State Building so you can speak to the gods," responded Chiron and he trotted away to go find the guard.

"So you're the famous Percy Jackson?" asked the girl, Lucy. She smiled at him warmly, "I've heard a lot about you in the two days I've been at camp. Oh, and you're his girlfriend, Annabeth, right?" she continued, turning to me. Both of our faces turned into tomatoes when she said the word "girlfriend".

"No, not girlfriend, best friend," I corrected shaking my head.

"Wow, hmm, some of the year-round Aphrodite kids are quite mistaken then. I'll be sure to correct them if…," she stopped herself from finishing.

"If what?" Percy and I asked at the same time.

"Uh, nothing," she answered a little too quickly. We decided to let it go though.

**Lucy's POV**

Phew, that was close, I almost gave away the future, and even though I'm a new comer to Camp Half-Blood, I know it's dangerous to tell one their future, no matter how cute those two are together. I also know that it's not normal for a demigod to know the future without consulting the Oracle, so I think we've established that I'm definitely different.


	2. I'm an Uncle?

**Percy's POV**

We waited for Chiron for a while, wondering what was taking him so long. It was agonizingly boring, so I decided to start up conversation, "So, how did you make it to camp?" I asked Lucy.

"My mom, mostly, she's a counselor for the Apollo and Aphrodite cabins. My dad is also coming to uh…counsel for the Poseidon cabin! Hey, isn't that yours?" she answered.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that there were counselors," I stated.

"There weren't, they're kinda a new thing here," she said in response. Then, suddenly something in all of our heads clicked, her parents! At that exact moment, Chiron came galloping up to us with someone on his back that I didn't really care to identify.

"Chiron, are there records of all the campers that have ever been to Camp Half-Blood?" asked Annabeth.

"Yes, in the office in the Big House, but that seems irrelevant. Why are you suddenly interested?" he answered, but as soon as he finished saying the word house, we were already half way to the office. Lucy grabbed the camp records and started skimming through them.

"Lean Poninski, daughter of Apollo and granddaughter of Aphrodite! Robert Edson son of Poseidon! That's my parents!" Lucy exclaimed happily. There was one thing that bothered me.

"Lucy, if your father was a son of Poseidon, then my father must have broken his promise more than once!" I told them, confused and a bit angry.

"Maybe her dad was like Nico and Bianca, they were hidden away in the Locus Hotel!" explained Annabeth.

"Who the Hades are Nico and Bianca?" asked a confused Lucy.

"Me, and my dead sister," answered a pale figure with jet black hair as he stepped out of the shadows. Lucy gasped and stared at him like he was a piece of candy, great, she's been here for two days and has already fallen in love. Hmm… that sounded kinda cheesy… I suddenly thought back to when I first met Annabeth, whoa, random much._ It's not random, it's because that's when you fell in love with Annabeth, _said a little voice in the back of my head. _Oh, shut up me! _I thought back angrily. _But you know it's true_ teased the voice._ Maybe it is true! But I can fall in love with my best friend if I want to! Oh my gods! I've fallen in love with my best friend!_

**Lucy's POV**

Oh. My. Gods. Who was the hot guy with the black hair? Nico, was it? Did I mention he was hot? He had medium length jet black hair and beautifully pale skin. His eyes were an intense dark brown that almost looked black. After a few minutes of staring at him like an idiot, he gave me a strange look. "I…I'm um…?" I started, but I forgot my name, smooth.

"Lucy…" provided Annabeth. Right, Lucy, that's my name.

"Lucy. I'm Lucy, granddaughter of Poseidon on my dad's side, granddaughter of Apollo on my mom's side, and great granddaughter of Aphrodite also on my mother's side," I introduced myself, holding out my hand for him to shake, he took it, and to my surprise, he held on for a couple seconds then dropped it.

"Wow, that was a heck of an introduction, Lucy," he told me, "I heard about you, but Chiron said he wasn't sure which god or goddess you belong to, but I see you've figured it out by yourself, good for you. So, are we still going to Mount Olympus, or are we gonna just hang out here now?" he asked.

"Well," said Chiron coming out from nowhere, "I believe before you start to go off to do your own thing, it would be wise to assign Lucy to a cabin first," he suggested.

"Well, wouldn't it make more sense if I stayed with..." I chuckled, "Uncle Percy, since his cabin has the most room," I suggested. I hadn't noticed that Percy was in a total daze, just staring at Annabeth, until the word "uncle" caught his attention.

"Uncle?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, you're technically her uncle. Her father is your half-brother," Annabeth explained.

"Aw, she has a pet name for him," I whispered, loudly enough for her to hear, to Nico, who had subconsciously moved next to me during the conversation.

"I heard that," growled Annabeth.

"You were supposed to," I said, chuckling. She huffed and plopped down on the dusty office chair behind her.

"So it's official, Lucy, you will be staying with Percy in the Poseidon cabin," announced Chiron, wanting to get out of the room full of teenagers.

"Sooo, wanna go over to me and Percy's cabin and think of somethin' to do?" I suggested as Chiron trotted away. I got a bunch of nods and 'yeah's from everyone, so we headed to the Poseidon cabin.


	3. Nico falls in love

**Nico's POV**

Wow. This new Lucy girl is actually pretty cute. Weird, I've never really referred to a girl as "cute", but she is definitely deserving of the title, with her long, silky brown hair, and her gorgeous different colored eyes. As we walked out, her foot caught on the carpeting and she tripped and yelped. I quickly extended my arms, and caught her before she hit the floor. I pulled her back into a standing position awkwardly.

"Thanks," she said shyly as we left the room.

"No problem," I responded smoothly, but my heart was pounding against my chest. Okay, since when was I so cheesy? Never mind, when we got to the Poseidon cabin, Lucy claimed a bunk, and we all sat on one and tried to think of something to do. It was starting to get pathetic.

"Oh, I know! How 'bout, I go summon some hippocampi, and we go to Vegas and become black jack dealers!" suggested Percy.

"Yeah, that's perfect, and we can go pick up Tyson on the way there!" Annabeth agreed. We all nodded then Lucy raised her hand, "Yes, Lucy?" Annabeth responded.

"I just have one question. Who's Tyson?" she asked. Who _was_ Tyson? Oh yeah! He's the Cyclopes guy that Percy and Annabeth used to hang out with.

"He's a Cyclopes, and also your uncle," answered Annabeth.

"I have an idea!" exclaimed Lucy.

"What is it?!" we all asked at the same time.

"How about we play truth or dare?" she suggested, and Percy groaned. I normally would've objected to the idea, but for some reason, I was compelled to play truth or dare.

"Sounds…interesting. But don't you need, like, a lot more people to play truth or dare?" I asked.

"Well, I could ask some of the year round kids to join us!" she suggested, squealing. She walked out of the room to the Aphrodite cabin. Uh-oh.

"This could get interesting," I commented once she'd left the room.

**Lucy's POV**

I felt like laughing evilly at my evil plan to get Percy and Annabeth together. I felt like telling someone, so I let the Aphrodite kids in on the plan. We all rubbed our hands together and laughed evilly! Mwahahaha!


	4. Truth or Dare

**Percy's POV**

After about ten minutes, Lucy walked back inside with a bunch of year-round Aphrodite and Apollo kids. It's time for the pain, Hades take me now! "Okay, are we ready to start?" asked Lucy. Everyone responded in a chorus of yes's.

"Okay, then I'll go first!" she suggested. "I pick…Uncle Percy!"

"Stop calling me that!" I protested.

She rolled her eyes, "Truth or Dare?" she insisted. Well, better get this over with.

"…Dare," I replied.

"I dare you to… kiss Annabeth… on the lips!" she exclaimed.

"_**WHAT?!"**_ we both screamed at the same time.

"It's a dare you _have _to do it," stated Lucy matter-of-factly.

"Fine," I grumbled, and got up and started to walk over to Annabeth.

**Lucy's POV**

Mwahahaha! My plan has been put into action! He walked right up to her and kissed her, and, get this, she kissed him back and they kissed for, like, ever before Nico coughed and they pulled away awkwardly! Aw, they're so cute together! After they pulled away they both glared at me. I put my hands in front of my face and silently prayed, _don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. _When suddenly Percy whispered something in Annabeth's ear, and they both smiled suspiciously at me. Uh oh, that can_not_ be a good thing.

"My turn, I pick Nico," announced Percy. _Uh oh. Please pick truth!_

"Dare," said Nico bravely. _Noooooooooooooo! _I sighed dejectedly.

"I dare you to make out with Lucy for at least three seconds," he said with a smirk. Nico's brave smile faded.

"_**What?!**_" we both shrieked, copying Percy and Annabeth.

"It's a dare you _have_ to do it," mocked Percy. Nico shrugged and walked towards me. I screamed in my head. Hey, what would _you_ have done in my situation?

**Percy's POV**

I can't _believe _Lucy did that to me. How did she know I liked Annabeth? But the look on both of their faces _totally_ made up for it. Nico walked towards Lucy and wrapped his hands around her waist and they made out passionately for nine seconds in counting. They pulled away and smiled shyly. Nico smiled mischievously.

**Annabeth's POV**

"My turn. Annabeth, truth or dare?" he asked in a dark tone, oh great.

"Truth," I responded confidently. I was _not_ going to have to do something totally embarrassing in front of Percy.

"Did you enjoy Percy kissing you? If so, do you have feelings for him?" asked Nico, using his impression of a talk show host.

"YesIdidandIreallyreallylikehimasmorethanafriend," I answered in one breath, hoping no one would understand.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," he pushed.

"Yes, I did! I'll admit it! And yes, I do like him a lot more than a friend!" I yelled, exasperated. Percy's eyes widened and I blushed redder than a tomato. "Sorry, if you don't feel the same way, I just hate this game sooo much and I…" Percy cut me off with a kiss.

"Yes, I do feel the same," he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. A guy from the Aphrodite cabin coughed dramatically and Percy plopped down next to me as we continued the game.

**Lucy's POV**

Aw, I love it when things work out! Look at those two lovebirds… staring at me and Nico with a mischievous look in their eyes. That can't be a good sign.

"Hmmm… Lucy, truth or dare?" asked Annabeth. Darn, why must these two target me?

"…truth," I responded. They can get all the information they wanted out of me, but they were not going to make me do something embarrassing again.

"Do you like Nico?" she asked.

"Sure, he seems pretty cool," I answered, avoiding the question she was really asking.

"You know that's not what I meant. I meant do you have romantic feelings for him?" she asked, a bit ticked.

"Maaaaaaaaaybe," I answered childishly.

"Yes or no?" she insisted.

"…Yes…." I gave in, staring anywhere but Nico's face. He tilted my chin up and smirked at me.

"Oh, really?" he asked. I nodded and looked at his playful expression. He kissed me lightly on the lips and I smiled goofily. "Because, I would like to take you out on a date. How 'bout we go to dinner on the day before summer?" he asked. I squealed girlishly.

"Of course!" I answered. We both smiled and continued with the game. The rest of it is kind of a blur, but I remember daring some random Aphrodite girl to pick all of the flowers off of the Demeter cabin and hang them on the Aphrodite cabin. I may not remember all of the details, but I do remember thinking one thing….

**Percy, Annabeth, Lucy, and Nico's POV**

_Truth or dare is my new favorite game,_ I thought.

**On Mount Olympus…**

**Aphrodite's POV**

Oh, I love a good love story! And they're so cute together too! I giggled with glee as I watched the campers down on earth play truth or dare like a movie while I was getting a manni-pedi. Mortals are so much fun to watch! Just as I was thinking that, party pooper Athena barged into the room.

"Aphrodite! I know you're the reason all of my blueprints are pink! Why…" she started, but stopped when she saw her daughter kissing that handsome Perseus Jackson fellow. "_**WHAT IS THIS?!**_" she screamed in outrage.

"The mortal kids are playing truth or dare," I told her cheerfully, like she wasn't an extremely angry goddess.

"_**WHY IS MY DAUGHTER KISSING THAT FISH HEADED SON OF POSEIDON?!"**_ she yelled at me.

"They're in love, and it was a dare. Plus, I think he's cute," I stated calmly to the angry goddess.

"YOU'RE THE GODDESS OF LOVE! FIX IT!" she ordered.

"I can't! Can't you just let your daughter be happy?" I asked. I'm usually not the one spouting logic, but I think it made sense that she'd want her own daughter to be happy. Her shoulders sagged and she stomped out of the room.

"By the way!" I called after her, "I _did _make your blueprints pink! I think it's festive!" Hearing this, she groaned loud enough for me to hear as she stormed away to who knows where.

**Poseidon's POV**

I was sitting on my throne, waiting for Athena, who just had to summon me from my underwater castle, just as I was about to win a game of sea chess against one of my guards. The angry goddess stomped into the room, fuming.

"I just saw _your_ son **kissing** _my _daughter!" she seethed.

"And…?" I asked. I wasn't surprised she'd make such a big deal out of something like this. If Percy wanted to kiss Annabeth, he had the right if he liked her.

"We MUST fix this!" she screamed.

"Look, Athena, I know we never got along, but that doesn't mean that our children can't. If Annabeth is really happy with Percy, then why get in the way of your own daughter's happiness?" it was kind of ironic that I had to explain that to "Ms. Logic" but I guess parenting was the one thing I knew better than she did. She frowned and looked down.

"I…I guess you're right," she said in defeat.

**Athena's POV**

It doesn't make sense. I've never been wrong before, and, honestly, I felt a bit ashamed that I'd put my feud with Poseidon before my own daughter's happiness. Then suddenly I had an idea.

"Poseidon, will you come with me somewhere to do something?" I asked.

"Wow, real specific. Sure, I've got nothing better to do," he replied.


	5. Our new friend beet up Annabeth'sbrother

**Annabeth's POV**

Everyone had left hours ago and the four of us were laughing hysterically at the stupid dares we had made our friends do.

"Annabeth, we should probably be leaving now," suggested Nico once he'd caught his breathe. I hadn't realized how late it'd gotten. I nodded, gave Percy one more swift kiss on the cheek, and Nico and I stepped out the door. I made it about three steps out of the cabin before I saw two tall, godly figures standing outside the cabin, and recognized them immediately.

"_Mother? Poseidon?!"_ I asked, confused, and a bit angry.

"Annabeth, reenter the cabin, please," It wasn't a question, it was an order. Though she didn't seem mad, I was ninety percent sure that this had something to do with Percy. I clenched my teeth and stomped back into the cabin. Nico followed, obviously curious about what was to happen.

Lucy was sitting on her claimed bunk pulling out pajamas from a small suitcase that I hadn't noticed she'd had. She looked up from her suitcase when she heard the door close.

"Hey, what are you guys doing back so…Who's the tall dude?" she asked as Poseidon entered the room. Then mother walked in…

"Athena?!" Lucy screamed, then gasped and covered her mouth.

"Lucy Edson?!" shrieked my mother, glaring straight at Lucy.

"You two have met before?" asked Nico.

"Unfortunately yes, once, in the _hospital_," growled Athena.

"What happened?" I asked impatiently.

"Well, um, on my first day here, one of the sons of Athena walked up to me to be friendly, but I was still on edge, and he came up behind me and tapped on my shoulder…" Lucy started awkwardly.

"So, what did you do?" insisted Percy.

"Well…I broke two of his ribs and gave him a nasty bloody nose. By the way, how is Malfoy…"

"Malcolm," Athena corrected.

"Right, Malcolm," Lucy repeated.

"He still can't move his upper body without howling in pain, but otherwise, he's well," she answered sarcastically. We all stared at Lucy in shock, and she blushed shyly.

"Hey, what do you expect? The kid scared the crap outta me!" Lucy defended.

"Note to self: don't scare Lucy," noted Percy and Lucy gave him a look.

"Anyway, why did you come here in the first place?" I asked curiously.

"Actually, I came to speak to you about Percy," she answered, sounding a bit depressed. _I knew it!_ I thought angrily.

"Perseus Jackson, I give you permission to date my daughter," announced Athena. _**WHAT?!**_

"R…_really_?" I asked. She nodded, and we cheered.

"And Annabeth Chase, I give you permission to date my son (even though it didn't really matter to me anyway, she just wanted me to come)" said Poseidon, sounding bored.

"Thank you sooooo much!" Percy and I exclaimed at the same time. _This is so great! Nothing could ruin this night! _I thought, but boy was I wrong.

At that second, one of the Apollo campers that had been playing with us earlier rushed into the room, "Chiron told me to summon you four!" he exclaimed, out of breath.


	6. IMs, Quests, and Prophecies, Oh My!

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was working on other stories. Enjoy the new** **chapter!**

**Lucy's POV**

We all rushed to the Big House as fast as we could, to see Chiron standing on the porch with a stressed look on his face.

"Hello, I'm glad you came. We have a slight problem," he said evasively.

"What is it?" asked Annabeth.

"Well…. um…. Why don't we just have her tell you then?" Chiron told us. He opened the door to the Big House and led us inside. A girl with black hair and black clothes, who was about Percy and Annabeth's age, was lounging in a chair inside. She seemed nervous and jumpy and when she saw us walking through the door, a look of concern took over her face.

"Thalia, is everything all right?" asked Annabeth anxiously. The girl bit her lip.

"Hey, Annabeth, Percy, Nico and…" she stopped and looked at me.

"Lucy Edson, granddaughter of Poseidon on my dad's side, granddaughter of Apollo on my mom's side, and great granddaughter of Aphrodite, also on my mom's side," I announced.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm Thalia, daughter of Zeus," she said, holding out her hand for me to shake. I took it and smiled at her. After the introduction, she looked nervous again, "Well, I should probably explain why I'm here. Well… Lady Artemis gave me permission to come and tell you… that…" she stopped talking for a minute, and there was dead silence, tension hanging in the air.

"What did you need to tell us?" asked Percy anxiously.

"Well, you know how Grover's been out trying to spread the message that Pan has died?" Everyone nodded, urging her to continue, "Well… he sent me an Iris Message the other day…."

"What did he say?" asked Percy excitedly, forgetting Thalia's anxiousness. I'd heard about Grover, he was Percy and Annabeth's best friend, so I'd imagine them being very excited about hearing from him.

"Well… he's in trouble… he said he was somewhere in San Francisco… he told me to come to you immediately…" she gave them a look of pity. Percy and Annabeth stood in shock for a moment, until Nico decided to break the dreadful silence.

"So what are we gonna do?" he asked.

"We're going to ask Chiron for a quest," answered Annabeth, taking a deep breath.

"You have my permission to proceed in going on the quest, on one condition, Lucy leads the quest," was Chiron's reply when we'd gone to him and asked him to grant us a quest. The last four words that came out of his mouth were definitely not what I thought they were going to be.

"What? Why me? I've never even been on a quest before in my life!" I complained.

"Precisely, now go on and visit the oracle in the spare room before dinner," was all he said in response as he trotted away to the Pavilion, and, confused, the five of us walked back into the Big House.

"Lucy, just go up to the spare room and ask the oracle for a prophecy! I mean, how hard can it be?" countered Nico when I argued.

"Oh, it isn't that hard, but it sure is creepy. You'll be scarred," Percy answered. _What a great confidence booster, _I thought bitterly.

"_Thanks_, Percy, that's just the pep-talk I needed before I go into the creepy spare room to speak to a creepy oracle," I said sarcastically.

"Hey, be glad it's Rachael now instead of that decaying mummy in the attic, besides, her room isn't _that _creepy," defended Percy, shivering slightly. _**MUMMY?!**_, I thought, but decided not to mention it.

"Who's Rachael?" I asked instead.

"My mortal friend that took on the Spirit of Delphi and became the camp oracle," answered Percy like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh, I'll be sure to say hi," was my response as I left the room to go consult the oracle.

"Hi, you must be Rachael. Percy says hi," I started as I entered the small spare room in the Big House. There was a young girl the same age as Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth sitting on a dusty bed. She had frizzy red hair and green eyes and was holding an IPod. She smiled up at me.

"That's my name, and tell him I said hi back. I bet you're here for a prophecy, some kind of quest?" she guessed. I nodded and a dazed look took over her face. Green mist came out of her mouth and she began to speak the prophecy:

"_Five shall journey to unknown lands,_

_An innocent life rests in their hands,_

_And if they shall fail to find the one that they've lost,_

_They all must pay the dreadful cost."_

When she stopped, she seemed to regain her consciousness and shook her head, like a dog does when it's wet. "You should go now," she suggested, "Bye, and good luck on your quest."

"Thanks, bye," I said, and speed-walked back out the door. I told the other four and Chiron about the prophecy after dinner and Chiron said we'd be leaving for the quest the next morning, _great,_ I thought bitterly. This would be fun.


	7. Thunderstorms

**A/N: sorry I haven't been updating as frequently lately… I've been busy… soooo enjoy the new chapter! I think this'll be a long one!**

**Lucy's POV**

I woke up that morning with the unpleasant feeling that during the night, one of the pegasi from the stables escaped and trampled me in my sleep, but I figured I was probably just really stressed because of the quest. I blinked, yawned, and stepped out of bed, ready to face the long day ahead of me. Percy was still snoring away in the bed beside mine.

"Percy, time to get up," I said in a sweet voice, shaking his shoulders softly. He groaned and rolled over, "Percy seriously, time to get up," I insisted in a slightly harsher tone. His reply sounded something like,

"Mmm tired." I sighed and shook my head. _He's making me do this,_ I thought. I let out a little giggle and grabbed a pillow off my bed.

"I- said- it's- time-to-get-up!" I said between strikes. His eyes opened up wide.

"_What_ are you doing?!" he half-yelled at me as I pummeled him with my pillow. I stopped and smiled triumphantly.

"Wakin' you up, silly," I answered sweetly, like I hadn't just finished beating him with a pillow. He rolled his eyes and got out of bed. I ran into the bathroom and locked the door before he made his way to it. I dressed quickly and didn't wait for Percy as I headed to the pavilion for breakfast. Percy met me at the Poseidon table shortly after.

"Thanks for the rude awakening," he said sarcastically. I smiled sweetly at him.

"You're welcome, Uncle Percy," I said with a sarcastically sweet smile. He scowled and finished eating his well-cooked breakfast.

After we were finished eating, Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, and I met up with Chiron at the Big House, all of us carrying our backpacks we'd packed with essential supplies for the quest like clothing, weapons, some food, and water. We got things situated and it was decided that we would all stay at Percy's house for one night, and then leave for San Francisco the following afternoon. After that was settled, Chiron beckoned me over to him.

"Lucy, before you go, because I would hate to see you leave unarmed, I'd like to give you this…" he took out a beautiful necklace; with the largest, most gorgeous gem I have ever seen hanging on the end.

"This is the amulet of Aphrodite, it was passed down to your mother, and I'm passing it on to you," Chiron explained as he handed me the amulet.

"It's beautiful! But I can't possibly keep it," I protested politely.

"You must keep it, it will keep you safe on your journey, for it is not just a beautiful amulet, it has hidden power." As he said this, he pressed the gorgeous middle-stone, and, to my great surprise, it began to transform into a large bronze sword. The handle was be-jeweled and gleaming, while the threatening, sharp blade shone in the bright sunlight. I took the beautiful sword in my hands and admired it.

"When you no longer need it, press the largest stone on the hilt, and it will return to the form of a necklace," he pressed the big gem and it turned back into an amulet. I was completely speechless, so I threw my arms around his neck, this caught him off guard, and he wobbled a bit, but eventually patted my back warmly.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, before hurrying to join the others. I hooked the amulet around my neck and joined Thalia, Annabeth, Nico, and Percy on the ride in the camp bus to Percy's apartment building, all the way thinking that there was something I'd forgotten. When we reached the room, I remembered what we'd forgotten to do.

"Er… guys, we forgot to even ask if we could stay here for the night," I stated as Percy unlocked the door, and we entered the small living room. Percy laughed when I brought it up.

"No, it's fine, I sent my mom an Iris Message before we left, she's at the store with Paul, but they'll be home soon," Percy responded matter-of-factly.

"Who's Paul?" I asked.

"My stepdad," he answered. I stared out the window, and saw that it was getting cloudy, _I really hope we don't have a thunder storm,_ I thought, biting my lip. I've hated storms ever since I was a little kid, something about them just freaks me out, and I have a total break-down. Last time we had a storm back at home, I hid under my blankets until hours after the storm had passed. I sighed, thinking about home always made me homesick. You see, I wasn't, I'm not, and never will be a city girl, I lived out in the more rural area of New Jersey, which was totally different than this humungous city. I looked around at the small living room, thinking about how I could have been at home right now, in _my_ living room, reading _my_ book quietly on _my_ couch with _my_ mom… I sighed again.

"Lucy, are you okay? You seem kinda… sad," asked Nico in a concerned tone. I smiled at him as he came up to me and rubbed my back comfortingly.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine," I said reassuringly, taking a deep breath. _That might not be a total lie,_ I thought to myself as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"_So,_" started Thalia awkwardly, "Where're we gonna sleep?" she asked, getting right to business. Percy thought for a moment before responding.

"Uh, well, I guess me'n Nico'll take my room, you and Annabeth could share the spare room, and if you don't mind, Lucy, you can sleep out here on the couch," he answered finally, and everyone nodded. That night, my worst fear had come true; I was spreading my sheets when I heard it: the first rumble of rolling thunder. As soon as the sound reached my ears, I made a petrified squeal, and dove under my covers before I could see the first dreadfully bright flash of lightening. This attempt was unnecessary, however, for I could still see the flash of blinding light through the light sheets. As the sound of the second rumble of thunder came rolling through the windows, I let out a strange cry.

"Lucy, are you okay?" asked Nico in an anxious tone as he barged into the living room clutching Annabeth's dagger tightly in his right hand. I let out a frightful squeal in response. I heard a thump as he jumped, like he was startled by it and hurried footsteps coming towards me. He pulled the covers off and witnessed a pitiful sight: his girlfriend curled up in a feeble position with a dreadfully frightened look on her face. I let out a weak whimper as he sat down beside me and gave me an alarmed look.

"L… Lucy? Are you alright?" he asked concernedly.

"S… S… storm… s… scared… th… thunder… l… lightning… bad…" I stuttered weakly. When I started to shiver, he pulled the covers up around my face. Again, we heard the petrifying low growl of thunder, and I let out a high-pitched scream and dug my face into Nico's shoulder. That's when Thalia came charging in, closely followed by Annabeth, and Percy trailing in behind them.

"What's going on? Is everything all right?" she questioned anxiously. I tried to speak but no sound came out of my mouth, and I just moved my lips soundlessly before I found the strength to speak.

"I… I… s… storm… s…scary… b…bad…." I muttered quietly. She had obviously understood what I had said, because a look of comprehension dawned on her face.

"You're afraid of storms?" she asked. I nodded feebly in response. BOOM! Another earsplitting round of thunder interrupted our conversation, and I dove under the covers like it was the sound of a bomb that had just reached my ears, letting out a horrified whimper. Thalia gently pulled the covers off of my face.

"You're fine. I'm the daughter of Zeus, lord of the sky, you'll be fine as long as I'm around," she assured me comfortingly. I shivered and pulled her into a hug. She seemed confused, and patted my back awkwardly, but there was a kind smile on her face when she pulled away.

"Th… thanks, Th…Thalia," I said feebly.

"You're welcome."

**A/N: sorry for the bad ending… R&R 'cause reviews make me happy ********!**


	8. Blue Pancakes

**A/N: Hey, readers, sorry it took so long for me to update. ******** Here's a short little humor chappie for ya's. I'll try and update chapter nine quicker. Enjoy! ******

**Percy's POV:**

"PAAAAAAANCAAAAAAAAAKES!!!!!!!" I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes, thinking I was just seeing things: I saw Lucy bolting across the living room with her hands flailing wildly in the air while yelling 'paaaaancaaaaaakes' repetitively. I sniffed the air and realized that my mom must have cooked pancakes for breakfast. Slowly and cautiously, I got out of bead and headed to the living room to make sure that I wasn't going crazy. I wasn't the only one: Nico had come out of his room at the precise moment Lucy was passing by, causing her to plow over him and land on top of him. Nico's face reddened slightly as he looked up at Lucy with wide eyes.

"I thought you were hurt!" he exclaimed.

"If I were hurt, WHY would I be yelling pancakes? I _need_ to get to the _**PANCAKES**_, Nico!" With that, she got up and continued her one-girl stampede to the kitchen.

"OH. MY. GODS. _**BLUE**_ PANCAKES!" Lucy squealed from the kitchen. I entered the kitchen along with Nico, Thalia, and Annabeth to see my mother chuckling quietly while watching a quite content Lucy stuff her mouth with as many of the blue pancakes as she could at one time. We all stared at her for a second then started to laugh in unison. Lucy seemed oblivious to our laughter as she continued to fill her mouth with pancakes.

"Boy, you sure can pick 'em, Nico," teased Thalia once she'd caught her breath. Nico glared at her half-heartedly, unable to hide the grin that was spreading across his face. After Lucy had had her fill, the rest of us thought it was safe to start collecting what was left of our breakfast. Nico kept stealing glances at Lucy, probably second-guessing her sanity, for she was rubbing her full stomach and humming tunelessly to herself.

"That was _yuuuummmmy,_" commented Lucy dreamily, with a dazed smile plastered on her face. Then she burst into a fit of random giggles that turned into hysterical laughter. Suddenly, with no warning, Lucy did a face plant onto the table and started to snore.

"_Lucy?"_ said Nico meekly. Lucy blinked wildly.

"_Hmmmmmmm…?"_ said Lucy in a slightly less dreamy voice as she raised her head, yawning. "Wha'd I mss?" she asked, her words were slurred, like she'd gotten drunk and hung-over.

"Nooooothing…" I said childishly

"Are those pancakes I smell?" asked Lucy.

"_**NO!"**_ yelled everyone but Lucy.

"Good, I go crazy over pancakes. You might wanna watch out. I go all insane then get all high and don't remember any of it after it's over. Doctor said it might be some kind of allergic reaction or something…. Can you believe that?" said Lucy. The rest of us laughed nervously.

"Nooooo…."

"Really?"

"WOOOOOW…"

**A/N: Sorry it was so short… a little comic relief before they start the quest and all… Anyway, remember the two golden r's: Read&Review! If you fail to grasp the concept of the golden r's, then… PERCY SHALL DIIIIE!!!! **

**Percy: Why meeeee??!!!**

**Me: Because, Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico are too cool to be killed and Lucy is my own creation, so you've been out- importanted, mister.**

**Percy: No fair!**

**Me: Shut up, Jackson, you're being mentally held captive! MWAHAHAHA!!!( sorry, my dear readers, for my insanity…)**


	9. Lucy's Vision

**A/N: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers, Percy will live to see another day and I get to write another chapter.**

**Percy: Yay! Thank you reviewers!**

**Me: Shut up, Jackson, this is my A/N! Anyway, heeeeres the next chapter!**

**Lucy's POV:**

_"Nico, watch out!" I screamed to him. One of them was nearing him. Those things, whatever they were, had ambushed us. We were alone, and we were losing. Thalia and Percy were fighting them off Annabeth's unconscious body. I was holding my own against one of the biggest. Looking up at it, I realized how gruesome they were. Its blood-red eyes and its scaly skin that was a deathly pale color made them the kind of thing you would see in the worst of nightmares. Then, everything happened so quickly I didn't have time for my life flash before my eyes. I was brought back to reality by feeling the cold metal of the creature's fatally sharp blade on my neck. Searing pain erupted throughout my body and I had to use all of my self-control not to cry out. I heard three people scream. One of them was screaming a name, my name: Lucy. I felt a warm liquid trickling down my neck, and when I touched it, I realized it was my own scarlet blood. I fell to the ground. Then, everything went black. Numbness took over my whole body until I no longer felt any pain. I thought one coherent thought before everything was gone, before I was gone: We had lost, and it was my fault._

__

"LUCY! Would you stop pacing!"

"Sorry, Thalia!" I apologized. I hadn't even noticed, until she'd pointed it out, that I was pacing back and forth in Percy's living room. Annabeth, Thalia, and I were waiting for the boys to get their butts out here so we could start on the quest. I was biting my lip so hard I could taste the blood dripping into my mouth and I started to second-guess Chiron's sanity. I mean, I couldn't lead a quest! I didn't even know where to start!

"Lucy, calm down. It's going to be fine!" Annabeth assured me. I sighed and looked down.

"How do you know? I can't lead a quest! I'm not a leader! What was Chiron thinking? I don't know where to go! Heck, I don't even know where to start! I can't do this on my own, Annabeth!" My voice cracked on the last word. I hid my face in my hands and let myself fall onto the couch that was, thankfully, right behind me.

"You're not alone. You have us! We'll guide you along the way!" said Annabeth comfortingly as she sat down next to me. She didn't understand. She didn't _know._

"You… you don't get it! I know something is going to go wrong! I _saw_ it happen! I saw myself _die,_ Annabeth! Last night, I saw it in my sleep! There were these horrible creatures and they _killed_ me!" I was almost to the point of screaming.

"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL SOMEONE?!" shrieked Annabeth.

"I… I didn't think anyone would believe me…" I replied, shocked by her sudden outrage.

"Lucy, half-bloods rarely have normal dreams. They usually mean something, and you're a descendent of Apollo, god of prophecy… which is what worries me the most… the confusion of your genetics might have caused some unusual powers to occur… have you ever had any "dreams" like this before?" she asked, suddenly calm again.

"Yeah… tons of 'em, but none of them were ever as clear as this… I _died_… I should be dead right now, but I'm sitting here, having this conversation… it's the weirdest feeling, dying then getting back up again... but anyway, what are we going to do about it?" I asked. I definitely did not want to relive that whole experience…

"Well… where were we in that vision?" asked Annabeth.

"I don't know… in some random forest or something. I don't really pay attention to these minor details, Annabeth. Why does it even matter?" I asked hopelessly. Now that I knew I was going to die this soon, I thought it'd just be easier to get it over with quicker. Suddenly, death didn't seem so bad… I'd probably go to Elysium if I died like I did in my dream… hm…

"It matters because we're going to do anything we can to avoid this forest. We're going to try and change the future," she explained determinedly. I agreed with this plan because I was no longer afraid. Death, I realized, was what I had truly feared, but now I thought of death as merely a part of living. I felt brave and care-free. A hundred-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders and now I knew I could lead this quest.

**A/N: I know what you're thinking: Lucy sounds really emo in this chapter, but you're just gonna have to live with it aren't you? Oh, and sorry I keep putting off the quest. Honestly, I'm stalling. I had an idea for the quest and it just went: plop. So if you have any ideas you can put them in a review and I'd be very, very happy! Your name might even be mentioned in the next chapter if you give me a good idea!**

**Percy: of course, because if you used the idea and you failed to mention that it wasn't yours you could go to jail, or worse, get kicked off fanfiction!**

**Me: *gasp* how could you say such a thing?! I think I'd die!**

**Percy: Then I'd be FREE!**

**Me: Shut up, Jackson! I'm not gonna do that so don't get your hopes up! I'll write a disclaimer if you give me an idea and I use it in the next chapter! Happy?**

**Percy: Very.**


	10. The Train

**A/N: Hiya, readers! I'd like to thank my reviewers:**

**Katydid7131**

**PercyJacksonPossed**

**Tridentbonez313**

**Clearspring2009**

**You guys rock and keep on reviewing! Thank you soooooo much for your support!**

**Percy: You know, they're only reviewing because you threatened to kill me!**

**Me: Narcissistic much! Plus, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up, Jackson! Oh, and, because I'm a nice person, I'm updating even though no one had any ideas! You tried and that's all that matters! Plus my best friend helped me out a little bit! Thanks, unnamed best friend! You know who you are!**

* * *

**Lucy's POV:**

After another five minutes (which felt like five hours) of waiting for them, Percy and Nico finally burst out of Percy's room. "What took you two so long?" I asked impatiently.

"Sorry, Lucy, I couldn't find my wallet," replied Percy calmly like he was talking to a little kid having a tantrum. I ignored his tone and went on.

"Why do you need your wallet?" I continued questioning him. He smiled mischievously. _Uh-oh. What is he up to?_

"I'm driving," he answered simply. I groaned.

"Great, we're gonna be dead before we even start the quest!" I exclaimed sarcastically. Percy's mischievous smile vanished and he rolled his eyes at me. _When did he start to treat me like such a child?_

"So, where're we startin', Lucy?" asked Thalia to break the awkward silence that was sneaking up on us.

"Uh, well I guess we should avoid forests like Annabeth said. Soooooo are there any forests around here?" I asked uncertainly. Even now that I knew I could lead this quest, I still didn't exactly have a plan.

"Yeah, down the block, but why are we avoiding forests?" responded Percy.

"Lucy had a dream that she died in a forest, and since she's a descendent of Apollo, we don't want to take any chances," answered Annabeth in a surprisingly calm voice.

"You mean like a vision?" asked Nico.

"You could call it that…" answered Annabeth. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, so how are we going to get to San Francisco? We can't take a plane, but it would take way too long to drive all the way there…" I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else. I took a deep sigh and bit down on my lip again. Then it came to me. Now that I'd thought of it, it seemed so obvious! "A train! We'll take a train to San Francisco!"

"Okay, soooo I'll drive all of us to the train station… and we'll think of a plan along the way," suggested Percy.

"Yup," I agreed loudly, popping the "p".

* * *

At the train station, we bought our tickets from the ticket counter, and we all glanced nervously at the screen telling the times for the trains and where they were going. We decided we were going to take a train half way to San Francisco, then find another means of transport to get the rest of the way there. This way we wouldn't be followed by anyone who decided we were either going to ruin their evil plans to kill a goat-boy or that we'd make a good meal. You know- the basic villain stuff. I sighed and bit my lip for the third time that day. Nico put his arm around me. "It's gonna be okay," he assured me. I forced a smile. _I'd been told that before…_

"Thanks… I've heard…"

"Well, you don't sound so convinced," he countered, looking concerned. I smiled again- a real one this time. _Did he meet me three day ago or three years ago?_

"I'm fine… Look, isn't that our train?" I asked, pointing up at the big screen. He nodded and pointed it out to everyone else, so we all boarded the train and found a compartment in the very back. We waited a couple minutes until everyone was on the train, then it lurched forward and, finally, we started moving westward. For a while, I was relaxed. The only sounds on the whole heard were the hum of many people having quiet conversations all at once, and the _chug, chug, chug_ of the engine. Then, Annabeth, who was facing me and Nico, gasped almost inaudibly. I saw her muscles tense and she seemed more awake than she was a second before. I knew better than to look, but when I listened my ears caught the unmistakable thud of heavy footsteps coming towards our compartment. My breath and my heart quickened in the same instance. _Thud… thud…thud. _Then, there were more footsteps- whoever or whatever it was, it wasn't alone. _Thud, thud, thud…thud, thud, thud…thud, thud, thud. _

"Don't… turn… around… pretend you're talking to me. Laugh… do _something_! We need to make them think we don't know they're here," ordered Annabeth in a low, barely audible whisper. In my peripheral vision I could see her hand on her bronze dagger, slowly pulling it out of her pocket. Actually, I noticed, we were all arming ourselves. Percy was tapping his magical pen on his thigh, Nico, like Annabeth, had his hand in his pocket, Thalia was grasping her charm bracelet tightly in one hand, and I slowly began to remove the amulet of Aphrodite from my neck.

"Who's 'they', exactly?" I asked uncertainly, but instead of answering, Annabeth… laughed? She started laughing hysterically and signaled for everyone else to start laughing too. They caught on and chuckled nervously. My amulet was now in my hand

"I know isn't that a great story… and then they fell in the mud!" I said, going along with the plan. Meanwhile, the thudding was getting louder, closer. _THUD, THUD, THUD… THUD, THUD, THUD…_ My thumb was on the gem in the middle. _Creeeeeeeeeeek… _the compartment door opened and we all sprung up out of our seats. I had pushed the gem in the middle, turning my necklace into a gleaming bronze blade, Percy had uncapped Riptide, Annabeth and Nico had their swords drawn, and Thalia had her Medusa shield out. I gasped at the sight before me…

* * *

**A/N: Cliffy! Mwahaha! I know I'm soooooo mean! I haven't updated in forever and now I'm giving you a cliffy… but my family and I are moving so I haven't been able to for a little bit! So, there! I promise the next chapter will be up sooner! So read and review to make your author happy!**

**Percy: Don't be so pushy!**

**Me: *says in a mocking tone* "Don't be so pushy!"**


	11. That Wasn't Part of the Prophecy

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffy last chapter! I hope you guys don't hate me now! Thanks again to my reviewers! I'm up to the 30 review mark all because of you wonderful people! I don't feel like naming you this chapter but let it be known that your reviews are very much acknowledged! **

_Previously: I gasped at the sight before me…._

**Lucy's POV:**

Their skin was scaly and green… their eyes were an evil blood red… they hissed and flicked their forked tongues at us menacingly. The… creatures looked like gigantic lizards… only worse much, much worse. I took a deep breath and drew back my sword… and paused. At that instant, I realized something important that I hadn't before: my new friends had years of training and experience in fighting, and I only had about two or three _days._ I'd only known I was a half-blood for about a week, let alone fought any monsters! What if the others got in trouble and I was their only hope? What if my friends died because I couldn't save them? As the weight of this dawned on me, the monster let out a sickening snarl and slashed at me with claws the size of new pencils. I dodged the attack and sliced the monster's chest, reducing the evil creature into a mere pile of dust on the floor. _Hey, this isn't so hard… _

"LUCY, WATCH OUT!" yelled Annabeth. I whirled around just in time to slash one of the monsters, which I noticed had been standing right behind me, across the stomach. It immediately turned into a heap of not-so-intimidating dust. There was only one monster remaining, which Percy swiftly stabbed in the heart- or whatever else monsters kept in that empty space- before it even realized what was happening. We all took a deep breath and turned to the crowd, who was staring at the whole scene with varied looks of confusion and complete horror. Chiron had explained everything about the Mist and how it manipulated what regular mortals saw when they looked at magical things- such as monsters and various magical creatures- which made me wonder what they saw when they watched that whole fight scene. Then Thalia did some kind of strange hypnotism thing and snapped her fingers. She told them we were taking care of some men that had gotten drunk on the train and tried to attack us, and they seemed to believe her! I stared at her in shock.

"What did you just do?" I asked cautiously.

"I manipulated the Mist. I made them think they saw something different then what they thought they did before… it's kind of complicated, huh?" Thalia answered.

"Oh, okay… cool," I responded like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey… uh… Did any of you get the feeling that that fight was a little… _too easy_?" Annabeth inquired uneasily. Thalia and Percy nodded.

"Yeah, those suckers went down quick… suspiciously quick…" Percy commented.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the quest?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know. It might eventually, but not yet…" answered Annabeth.

"Well, then we should just forget about it for right now until it _does_! Come on guys, we need to stick with the problem at hand and not get side-tracked by a fight that was 'too easy' we need to keep our heads in the game and focus! Unless it has anything to do with finding Grover, it can't help us right now. I think we should go over a game-plan for how to get the rest of the way to San Francisco. We should also think of where to start once we get there. Does anyone have any suggestions?" I ended my speech by raising one eyebrow and crossing my arms over my chest. Annabeth, Percy, Nico, and Thalia seemed a little shocked by my sudden authority. I sighed, still waiting for an answer. "Well?"

"Uh…. We could… um… drive I guess…?" suggested Percy, sounding a little uncertain.

"Well, that's a long way to drive, isn't it? I mean, we're taking a train to Kansas City, and then we have to get through, like, three or four big states before we get to California. Wait! I have it! We can rent an RV! Then we can drive all the way without being detected!" I exclaimed. The others didn't seem as excited about this as I was.

"Uh… an RV?" asked Thalia, trying and failing to sound enthusiastic.

"We don't _have_ to use my idea if you don't want to, Lucy," stated Percy.

"Uhhhh… you're hair looks pretty today…" was all Nico managed to say. Annabeth didn't even try to sound enthusiastic about it.

"Look, it's obvious none of us want to rent an RV, so why don't we try and think of something else, okay?" she said kind of bossily.

"Excuse me, but last time I checked _I_ was leading this quest! You don't get to make the decisions, Annabeth! I think it will be a good experience for us all to go on an RV! It was a good idea, and we're going to use it whether you like it or not!" I ordered.

"Excuse me, but last time I checked, I was older than you! You can't order me to do anything!" countered Annabeth.

"_I _am the leader of this quest, and _I_ get to call the shots!" I fumed.

"I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO LEAD A QUEST! NOW YOU'RE ORDERING US AROUND?!" she seethed.

"**YEAH! I'M ALLOWED! IT'S A FREE COUNTRY! AND I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SEND YOUR SORRY BUTT BACK ON THE NEXT PLANE TO LONG ISLAND!" **I shouted. We were both standing dangerously close, weapons still drawn.

"**YOU DON'T HAVE TO BECAUSE AS SOON AS THIS TRAIN ARRIVES AT KANSAS CITY, I'M TAKING 'MY SORRY BUTT' HOME ON A PLANE MYSELF!" **Annabeth just about screamed. Half the people on the train were watching us now, probably thinking we were insane. I made myself calm down, though my breathing was still slow and deep.

"Fine. I can't stop you from going home. We'll just have to manage without you, right guys?" I stated, my voice deathly calm. The last part sounded a little threatening, as if I was daring anyone else to question my authority.

"I'll go with her. She'll need company on the train home. I can't let her leave without knowing she's safe. I can take her home and catch up with you guys later. You know how to contact me," Percy answered my rhetorical question. It wasn't what he said that hurt me the most; it was how he said it in a calm, collected voice, like he had everything figured out for a long time. Maybe they _had_ planned it. I looked hopefully over at Nico and Thalia, all traces of my earlier anger had vanished completely.

"I'm staying with you," stated Nico simply. Thalia nodded.

"Grover's my friend, and you need my help to save him. _I _don't give up on my friends," she said, looking pointedly at Percy and Annabeth. My throat closed up. _How am I going to do this without them?_ I had a sudden insane urge to get down on my knees and beg for them to stay with me. I sighed, trying to keep my composure.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out the way we had hoped. I think it would be easier if you stayed in a different compartment for the time being," I suggested. Tears suddenly blurred my vision, and the urge grew stronger as I held them back. I hugged Percy and nodded to Annabeth as they walked off, and I wondered if I'd ever see them again. Once they were gone, I turned to Nico and Thalia. "I don't remember the part in the prophecy when two of our friends leave us, possibly forever, do you?" I asked, then let the tears fall.

**A/N: do you like the ending? I think I do! If you want Annabeth and Percy back, you have to review! Or at least to see what happens to them!**

**Percy: *chuckle***

**Me: what are you laughing at, chuckles?**

**Percy: you say I'm worthless, but you're bribing people with me, you've done it more than once!**

**Me: I never said you were worthless, I just said that I like the other characters in your book better!**

**Percy: Gee, thanks…**

**Me: you're welcome!**


	12. Danny's RV Rental

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! Sorry for the length between my posting all of these chapters- I'm currently working on three stories at once, so I've been alternating between updating! This one is the oldest and longest so it's kind of been my last priority at the moment. Plus, I've had better ideas for my crossover- Guns Meet Wings… I already have the whole thing planned out in my head; I just have to write it down. With this one, I'm kind of going with the flow… I apologize for my rambling, so I'm just going to go on with the chapter now!**

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

**Lucy's POV:**

"Lucy! Lucy, wake up! We're in Kansas!" Blinking rapidly, I opened my eyes to see Nico kneeling beside me shaking my arm lightly. I yawned and slowly sat up. I looked up and saw Thalia's piercing blue eyes staring back into mine. A small frown crept up on my face as I looked around the compartment.

"Where's…" I let my voice trail off, suddenly remembering the events of the other night. This is how I had woken up for the past two days. We'd only passed Percy and Annabeth a couple times when taking necessary potty breaks. I sighed- this was not what I'd expected my first quest to be like. "I think we should go now… we need to find the nearest RV rental place, and fast. We don't know how much time we have left to find Grover. Grab your bags and let's go." My sudden knowledge of how to be a leader surprised-and even scared- me a little bit. Oh, well. It definitely comes in handy. I guess I had it in me before, but I never really realized it. At least that's what Thalia kept telling me.

"Uh… Lucy? Are you okay? You've just been standing there staring into space like a crazy person…" commented Thalia, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" was my intelligent reply. I shook my head like a wet dog. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I guess I just zoned out for a second there." My friends nodded, but I saw them shoot me worried looks every now and then when they assumed I couldn't see them. I sighed. This was going to be a _long_ trip to California. As we stepped off the train, my eyes almost instinctively searched for any sight of Annabeth and Percy. They locked on two figures, a boy and a girl, just stepping off of the train. It looked like they were also looking for someone. My suspicions were confirmed when my eyes met two beautiful smoky gray ones filled with sadness and regret. I nodded and plastered a small smile, attempting to hide the deep hurt that had ingrained itself inside me since the fight with Annabeth. She returned it, nodding to us before being swept away with the crowd. _And out of my life…_ I thought sulkily, sighing for about the hundredth time that week.

"Hey, Lucy, you sure you're okay? I-it's not too late to…" I cut Nico off.

"I'm fine, Nico. You need to stop worrying about me," I assured him firmly. "I think we should pick up a map on our way out, unless either of you know your way through Kansas City." Okay, so maybe I was being just a little bit hard on him, but I was stressed, still learning about being a leader, and being annoyingly questioned by my friends. Ugh. "Maybe we should pick up a phonebook too…"

After hours of searching… and searching… and searching in the phonebooks we'd found somewhere in the train station, we finally found the address of an RV rental place. So there we were, pulling up in a rental car to _Danny's RV Rental, _not having a clue what the heck we were doing. Then, some guy with one of those fake business-person smiles that looked like if you tried really hard, you could just peel it right of their truth-stretching mouths. He was as good-looking as a middle-aged guy can look, and was dressed nicely in a crisp black jacket over a white button-down dress shirt, a striped tie, and pleated pants.

"Hello there, ladies and gentleman! Welcome to Danny's RV Rental! I'm Danny! How may I help you?" he asked, forced enthusiasm practically soaking through his words and dripping onto his shiny designer shoes. Nico stepped out in front of me, failing to suppress a grimace at the man's false perkiness.

"Uh, sir, we're here to rent an RV. Not to be rude or anything, but is there any _other _reason why we'd be at an RV rental place? Just out of curiosity," he asked, not even attempting to hide the coldness in his voice. What did Nico have against men in fancy business suits? For just a second, I thought I saw a flash of anger and even contempt in Danny's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Of course, of course! Well, we certainly have many choices! You are free to look around! Of course, you must fill out some paperwork first. Follow me inside, and we can get that all over with," he suggested. Again, I saw a flash of danger in his eyes, which set off blaring signals in my head screaming, _DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! _Being me, I stupidly ignored it.

"I don't think we should go in, Lucy. There's something wrong with this guy…" Nico's whisper was barely audible, but the slight movement of his lips told me I hadn't just been imagining it. I frowned and rolled my eyes at him.

"C'mon, Nico, you're just bein' paranoid! Besides, there's three of us and one of him, and we're armed," I whispered back, being careful to not be heard by the overly cheerful business man.

I could have sworn I heard him whisper back something like, "Yeah, but how do we know he's not," but I couldn't be sure. Plastering a respectful smile on my face, I suppressed my annoyance at my boyfriend's silly paranoia. "Of course, we'll fill out some paperwork. It's no problem." I couldn't help but get that fluttery "this is dangerous!" feeling deep in the pit of my stomach when I recognized the sense of triumph in his smile. Just as before, I set it aside, thinking it was Nico's stupid paranoia getting to me. Oh, boy was I wrong.


	13. We Get Attacked By A Crazy Man in A Suit

**A/N: Hey there, people! Again sorry for the lateness of updating the last chapter, but just for that (and its shortness) I shall give you a really early update because I know exactly what I want to happen next! **

**Percy: Do you know how many dash mark thingies (-) you used last chapter?**

**Me: Do I look like I care, Jackson?**

**Percy: =P **

**Me: Exactly. Now, on with the story!**

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"Okay, now I'm going to need you to fill out these forms. Just a few signatures here and there, and I'll be right back. Would you like any refreshments?" asked Danny, emerging out of the closet with a mountain of papers so tall I wondered how he fit them all in the little garage used as an office. We nodded briefly in his direction as he left the room. I turned and smiled at my friends.

"See, Nico, there's nothing wrong with this nice man! I told you there's nothing to worry about! That's what you get for doubting your all-mighty quest leader! I know I probably screwed up with the whole Percy and Annabeth thing, but…" Nico and Thalia's eyes widened until I thought they were going to pop right out of their heads.

"Uh… Lucy…"

"I know, I know! It's taking a risk, but I think we can make it through this so we can get Grover back! I mean, like Thalia said, we shouldn't quit on our friends. As long as we stick together, we can beat anything! Right guys?" I finished confidently, but my friends' faces didn't change. What was going on with them?

"Umm… _Lucy!_" Nico's voice was more insistent this time. I glared at him.

"WHAT?" I yelled, exasperated.

"TURN AROUND!" I whipped around and found myself staring into a familiar pair of fierce red eyes. _Oh. My. GODS! _After that, I did what any confident, brave warrior in my position would do. I screamed my head off like my life depended on it, uttered a weak little "Oh,", and collapsed on the cold, hard floor. For the first time ever before in my life, I had fainted. The last thing I saw before everything went black was two familiar, welcome figures barging through the door, weapons drawn and ready for a fight.

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"Lucy! Lucy are you awake? Please say you're alive Lucy! Please! Be okay!" I heard a frantic voice cry. A voice I knew but couldn't put a name to. _That name… That's my name! And that was Nico! _I wanted to answer him and tell him I was alright now, but my mouth refused to make any sound. When I tried to open my eyes, they were reluctant to open for some reason. _This is sooo NOT COOL!_ I couldn't manage to move any part of my body, but I could still hear the outside world that now seemed so far away.

Voices. Sad, scared voices were crying out and comforting each other. I wanted so badly to be with them and help them feel better about whatever was making them sad, but my body just would not allow it. Then I realized something important. I suddenly knew what was making the familiar, friendly voices so sad. It was me. I was causing them pain because they thought I was gone. No, they thought I was dead. Was I dead?

That thought scared me out of the darkness and caused me to let out a painful gasp as my whole body came back to life. I had been alive, just unconscious. Oh, thank the Gods! I sent out silent prayers of thanks to any and all the Gods I could think of and slowly tried to open my eyes. The small action caused me to whimper and gasp in pain again. Then I heard joyful cries of "SHE'S AWAKE!" and the sound of scurrying feet. I forced my eyes open, trying to endure the horrible burning the light caused.

"L-Lucy? A-are you okay?" Nico asked timidly, and I noticed (and tried to ignore to save Nico from embarrassment and having to prove his macho-ness) that he was trying to hide the tear stains on his cheeks. I tried to smile reassuringly up at him, but it turned into more of a painful grimace.

"Y-yeah, I-I-I'm f-f-f…fine, N-Ni-Ni…." I stuttered, but before I could utter a single word more, I broke into a fit of uncontrollable, totally pitiful sobs. Snot and tears dripped down my face, and the familiar salty taste of fresh tears filled my mouth. Loud, snotty, unattractive sobs shook my whole body as Nico held me close until I could finally catch my breath. "Those were the creatures in my dream. They were the ones who-who… you know…"

"Killed you? Yeah, we know. That's one of the reasons our sorry butts came back to save yours," commented a particular voice that filled my very soul with a feeling of utter joy. I forced myself to sit up and wrap my arms around the owner of that voice, catching her off guard.

"ANNABETH! You guys came back! Oh thank the gods! I missed you guys so much! I'm so sorry for what happened on the train… I shouldn't have gotten all bossy like that…" What started off as a cry of joy ended in a sad, low whisper. Annabeth pulled back slightly awkwardly and smiled at me.

"No, _I'm _sorry. As difficult as it is for me to admit it, I was… wrong to have gotten defensive like that. You are the leader; therefore you have authority over me. It's okay, Lucy. I think we should just forget about it," she told me confidently. I nodded, returning her smile with an ear-to-ear grin.

"What? No hug and cheesy apologies for Uncle Percy?" asked the boy with dazzling green eyes and messy black hair that I had come to know. I giggled and smiled at him.

"Of course! I couldn't forget my own sixteen-year-old uncle!" I exclaimed cheerily, tossing my arms around his neck and squeezing as hard as I could.

"Okay… Okay! Lucy, you're hurting me!" he choked. My embrace tightened.

"I know. It's good to have ya back, Uncle."

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**A/N: Wooo! That was a decent length and I updated pretty quick! Only a day after I wrote it and two days after I update the last one! Yay! **

**Percy: Why are you making me sit here and watch you type this? Don't you know I have better things to do?**

**Me: Like what? Going outside and tanning with my brother?**

**Percy: Noooooo…..**

**Me: For the millionth time, SHUT UP, JACKSON! R&R please! =D **


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